FAMU lacks funds to save Jax dental clinic

FAMU had hoped to rescue a Jacksonville dental clinic that the University of Florida plans to close on June 30 and use the facility to get its own dental school started. However, those hopes were dashed when the legislature failed to authorize a College of Dental Medicine at FAMU and did not appropriate enough money for FAMU to fund the Jacksonville operation.

FAMU will still go forward with the $1.5M planning process for a College of Dental Medicine.

From the Jacksonville-Times Union:

The prospect of a new college of dentistry at Florida A&M University that would operate a Jacksonville dental clinic was delayed when the Legislature failed to pass legislation authorizing the college.

FAMU’s director of governmental relations, Tola Thompson, said Wednesday the proposed dental school failed to get any planning money. However, FAMU will be using other funds to move ahead with planning for the school, which would not accept its first students until 2015, Thompson said.

Backers hoped that the new FAMU college would take over operations of the University of Florida College of Dentistry’s Jacksonville clinic slated to close June 30.

“We have a great interest in operating the Jacksonville dental clinic, but we don’t have the resources,” Thompson said.

Karen Rhodenizer, director of communications for the UF College of Dentistry, said that when the decision was being made to close the clinic, other dental colleges and schools were contacted about taking it over in a collaborative effort. But nothing developed.

Rhodenizer said FAMU Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris and CFO Teresa Hardy went to Gainesville March 30 and met with Teresa Dolan, dean of the UF College of Dentistry, to talk about dental education and the history of the clinic.

“We will continue to be available to FAMU officials as they work on building a dental program,” Rhodenizer said.

Read the full article here.